Futures bets: Detroit Lions have second-best odds of making the playoffs, earning No. 1 seed

The Detroit Lions are on a bye in Week 9, making it the perfect time to check in with the folks over at DraftKings and take a look at some of their “futures” betting options.

If you’re not familiar with futures bets, they are exactly what they sound like: Wagers you can place on an outcome that will not happen until a future date. Some examples of futures wagers include how many total wins a team may achieve, if the team will make the playoffs, or even if a team will win the Super Bowl.

Let’s take a look at a handful of Futures bets and look at the Lions odds, courtesy of DraftKings.

Lions make the Playoffs -10000

2nd best odds (Eagles -20000)

This is pretty straightforward, if the Lions make the playoffs in any capacity, you win. But the chances of that happening are such a foregone conclusion at this point that DraftKings are putting massively long odds on it. Basically, if you bet $10 on this wager, and it happens as expected, you will get your $10 back plus 10 cents in winnings.

Translation: Prepare yourself for the post-season.

Lions win NFC North -1200

Lions expected winner, Vikings (+900), Packers (+2500), Bears (+6000)

And here is the Lions’ easiest expected path to the playoffs. You get more favorable odds here because the option to make the playoffs via the wild card is taken out of the equation. DraftKings gives the Vikings the next best shot at the division, but the odds are still a significant gap away from the Lions.

Secure No. 1 Seed in NFC +200

2nd best odds (Eagles +125)

At this time, DraftKings favors the Eagles to be able to hold onto the No. 1 seed, but their schedule has some challenging games on it, leaving the door open to the Lions, whose schedule is easier over the back half of the season.

Lions win conference +425

4th best odds (Eagles +250, 49ers +265, Cowboys +400)

This is different than the No. 1 seed because it implies a win in the NFC Championship game and a trip to the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl Champions +1100

6th best odds (Chiefs +500, Eagles +600, 49ers +600, Dolphins +850, Cowboys +850)

Lions have the sixth-best odds of winning the Super Bowl. Just think about that for a second and embrace what that means.

Dan Campbell wins Coach of the Year +200

Expected winner

Campbell is the favorite, followed closely by Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel (+275), then a gap to Jets’ coach Robert Saleh (+600), and Texas’ coach Demeco Ryans (+1000). Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and Jaguars coach Doug Pederson (+1600) round out the group getting better than +2000 odds.

Jared Goff wins NFL MVP +3500

10th best odds

It’s a quarterbacks award, with Goff being one of nine quarterbacks taking up the top-10 spots, and 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey being the only non-QB of the group.

Amon-Ra St. Brown wins Offensive Player of the Year +6500

13th best odds

McCaffrey and Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill lead this group at +125 each, while Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is outside the top 10.

Aidan Hutchinson wins Defensive Player of the Year +1600

4th best odds

EDGE rushers make up the top six spots in this group with Cowboys Micah Parsons (+190) leading the way and the Lions Hutchinson checking in fourth.

Jahymr Gibbs wins Offensive Rookie of the Year +1200

3rd best odds

Sam LaPorta wins Offensive Rookie of the Year +5000

10th best odds

The Lions have two rookies in the top 10 of the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award category, which speaks to their incredible early season value to the team's success. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has the best odds at -175, followed by Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua at +300, and are the only two ahead of the Lions Gibbs, who is coming off a breakout game that could be a sign of things to come.